Archives for :
June2015

This week’s Kickstarter is not only a really cool looking anthology, it is working towards a good cause as well. YOU ARE NOT ALONE 3 is the third entry in this series of anti-bullying anthologies. We took a few minutes to talk with the Publisher of Greyhaven Comics, Andrew Goletz about this project.

Digital Nerdage: What is You Are Not Alone 3?Andrew Goletz: YOU ARE NOT ALONE 3 is the latest in a series of anti-bullying comic book anthologies that we publish. The goal was to do all age friendly stories aimed at younger readers who have to deal with issues like abuse, body image, depression, homophobia, racism, violence and other things that kids…that no one should ever have to deal with. Along with the stories (which all try to feature positive resolutions to the conflicts portrayed) we include information on where people can seek help for these issues.
DN: Can you please tell us about the creative team?

AG: In order to make a comic like this a reality, we depend on the dedicated individuals who write, draw, letter and edit these stories. YOU ARE NOT ALONE 3 would not be possible without the following extremely talented folks whose work will be featured in the book:

DN: Was there any specific event that was the inspiration behind the You Are Not Alone series of books?

AG: The tragedy at Sandy Hook had a profound effect on everyone. Originally we thought to honor the victims of the horrific event with a tribute book but were concerned it would come off as crass. But we all agreed we needed to do something different than the usual comics we were putting out. Creating an anti bullying project that would encompass many of the issues young people deal with every day from abuse to depression to violence was the direction we decided to go. Stories about tough issues but aimed at a teen audience and built around hope.

With several years of experience publishing comics we figured we’d be able to pull off a larger format book. The original book was going to be about 80 pages long but response was so strong and the stories so powerful that the book ballooned to nearly 200 pages. Crowdfunding enabled us to go above and beyond both in our page count and printed books and we were able to offer complimentary copies of the book to many schools and youth organizations that asked for the book.

DN: What is the reward, besides the book itself, that you were most excited to offer?

AG: We always try to offer cool rewards on top of just the book. Honestly, in my opinion the coolest reward is the $25 tier. You get a print copy of the book and your name in the thank you section so not only are you receiving a physical copy of an important work but you’re also immortalized as one of the people responsible for making it a reality. If you’re a comic fan who wants original art we have several long time artists offering sketches of the winner’s choice and if you’re an aspiring creator we even have some rewards where you can have a script or completed comic reviewed by published professionals.

DN: Anything else you would like to add?

AG: YOU ARE NOT ALONE 3 is in the final stages of production and will go to print in August. Unlike a lot of crowdfund campaigns (including our own previous ones) you won’t be waiting a year for this to come out. Backers should have their books in hand in September or October at the very latest which is a pretty quick turnaround time, we think. The YOU ARE NOT ALONE series is not just a project that I am proud of but one that I think is extremely important and would like to see it continue for years to come until there is no need for these types of books. Money’s tight for everyone and there are a lot of wonderful projects competing for attention. If you’re someone who believes what we’re doing with the YOU ARE NOT ALONE series but can’t afford a pledge, sharing the link with others and encouraging them to pledge is just as important and helpful.
In addition to this being a amazing collection of works from a wonderfully diverse group of creators, this project also tackles a number very real issues. I am glad to see comics being used for more than just entertainment especially with the range of issues that YOU ARE NOT ALONE 3 addresses. I truly hope that if at all possible you back this very worthy project! Check out their Kickstarter page here!

This episode, the Mistresses are joined by the lady of All Hale Studios, Kendra Hale! We talk about her various projects, podcasing, Con experiences, Cosplaying, and the strange lights on Ceres! Don’t miss this engaging episode!

This is Raven Quinn’s debut album. The vocals of Ms. Quinn are similar to a cross between Lzzy Hale (of Halestorm fame) and Tarja Turunen (formerly of Nightwish fame). The song ‘Giving Up the Ghost” easily can get stuck in your head. Just as the song ‘Lullaby’ is a haunting love song. This album has a little bit of something for everyone. If you really dig female singers in the rock genera, than Ms. Raven Quinn is right up your ally. Having one of her songs used on a Kickstarter video brother this 5 year old album to my attention and onto my radar. Since listening to it just once I have bought not only a digital copy, but also bought a hard copy of the album. It is a perfect album to listen to on those cold rainy mornings when you don’t want to get out of bed. Her voice will calm you and lull you back to sleep. I give this album an 8.8 out of 10.

Wow….the nostalgia was strong with this one. Final Fantasy IV (II in the U.S.) for the SNES was where it all began for me. This was my first RPG I ever played. I STILL remember raiding the Blockbuster Video store every Friday after school to hope and pray that their ONLY copy of the game was still there. This could be why this was such a quick run through.

In addition to being my first RPG, this was the advent of the story driven RPG in my opinion. Even after playing through 1-3 for this adventure I undertook a VERY long time ago, I still feel this is when story first found its way into video games in a very significant way. Cecil’s transformation from a Dark Knight to a Paladin was truly a masterstroke in storytelling. A story that has stood the test of time.

One thing I did realize as I went through this game again is just how wrong I was about the history of the Final Fantasy series. As I had remembered it, the death of Aerith was the first time a playable character had died in the Final Fantasy series, but I had forgotten about Tellah sacrificing himself to beat Golbez. There were even more “deaths” in Final Fantasy IV, but only Tellah’s was permanent.

The combat in FFIV is great and all of the characters serve a very specific purpose at the time they are with you. However, all of the characters’ are very unique. The Twins Palom and Porom with their Twin Magic and Yang’s AoE Kick. All the characters also have a great story behind them and do everything they can up to and including sacrificing themselves to ensure Cecil continues his journey.

This has always been and I believe always will be one of my top 3 Final Fantasy games. Onward to Five!

(photo – NASA TV)
In what was an incredible blow to the current ISS crew in orbit, Space X lost it’s unmanned Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Capsule just minutes after launch today.
On board was 5,200 pounds of cargo, including food, water, and on board equiptment. Also lost on this mission was a 1000 pound docking adapter for NASA’s next generation crew capsules.

Space X owner, Elon Musk described the anomaly experienced by the Falcon 9 rocket after lift off as an over pressurization which occurred in the liquid-oxygen tank of the rocket’s upper stage:

There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank. Data suggests counterintuitive cause.

This is the third resupply mission failure in 8 months. This launch was set to replace the failed Russian re-supply mission after the Progress M-27M spacecraft spun out of control in orbit and lost all communications abilities, eventually burning up in re-entry.

Astronaut Scott Kelly, on a 1 year mission aboard the ISS, watched the launch and subsequent failure from space and commented on his poignant and otherworldly perspective:

The Mistresses get their claws into THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN COMICS: Victor Dandridge Jr. We talk his impressive catalog of comics, his amazingly successful kickstarter, EXCLUSIVE INFO on upcoming projects, U Cre-8 Comics, SCIENCE! and much, much more. Be captivated and then go buy some comics!

After a bit of a break, we are back with the Kickstarter of the week! This week’s Kickstarter is a very cool looking JRPG by the name of Remnants of Twilight. We had the chance to talk with the guys over at TwilightTeddiezStudios about the project, and let me tell you, it looks awesome.

DN: What is Remnants of Twilight: Age of Arius?

TTS: Remnants of Twilight: Age of Arius is a 2D JRPG inspired game being developed by TwilightTeddiezStudios. The game follows a young protagonist Oboro Lazera, and his sister, Vira Lazera, as they explore this new planet they’ve been stranded on called as Kirin. With the help of their new friends and allies, they work to prevent the resurrection of a dark maiden known as Amaya, and accomplish their own personal goals along the way.

The game sticks to the normal aspects that can be found throughout almost all JRPG titles out there, but adds the ability to dynamically customize each individual character the way each player prefers to play them. Strategic combat and gameplay, but still sticks to providing a compelling story that can either feel you with joy or bring you to tears.

Remnants of Twilight: Age of Arius will be available for Windows/Mac upon release, and Linux OS sometime down the road after it’s initial release.

DN: Can you please tell us about the creative team?

TTS: The creative team behind Remnants of Twilight: Age of Arius are a group of individuals from all parts of the world with a love and fascination for RPGs and Game Design. We love to play many games and take a lot of inspiration from them when it comes down to designing our current project. Overall, we’re a bunch of crazy people who have come together to Develop a game we love in the genre we could never live without.

DN: There are some that say the JRPG genre is not what it used to be. What made you decide to make this game a JRPG.

TTS: It’s always been a great pleasure of ours to play JRPGS that we wanted to create one as well, however wanted to create one that got back to the roots of what we truly enjoyed about JRPGs. Having this great fundamental story alongside an interactive battle system, a highly engaging Crafting System, and a world that can be completely explored whether it be through side-quest or just straying off from the story to see what you can find.

DN: What is the reward, besides the game itself, that you were most excited to offer?

TTS: To be completely honest the greatest reward that we really excited to offer was the Kickstarter Exclusive Collector’s Edition Box Set for the game. Along with the reward containing a large amount of exclusive content such as an Artbook, Strategy Guide, Extra Content Game Disc, we were also happy to be able to give out this item that will never exist again after the end of this Kickstarter. It’s our tiny limited treasure that we can’t wait to get out to our backers.

Though our second best reward is our digital content that allows the Backers to be able to insert themselves into the game in some way. It excites us to see what type of Characters they would create and how imaginative they would get when it came down to creative mind of making up their own Side-Quest. We’ve already had a Backer come to us about a Pirate Fleet of Penguins and it’s just awesome!

When you have a chance, head over to Kickstarter and check this project out. If you love RPG’s, you aren’t going to be disappointed.

The first purely classical selection I will review is performed by the Boston Pops with special guest conductor John Williams (you might know him from his work on a little movie called ‘Star Wars’). This collection starts with the ominous ‘Mars: Bringer of War’, a haunting composition that is on par with ‘The Imperial March’ by Williams himself, that is also well known for its intensity. The track that follows is ‘Venus: Bringer of Peace’, a mellow track that is easily compared to some of the more melodic and peaceful tracks within the ‘Star Wars’ score. Next is the track ‘Mercury: The Winged Messenger’, which is a piece all of its own. It works as a perfect transitional piece to the more energetic ‘Jupiter: Bringer of Jollity’. While the following track ‘Saturn: Bringer of Old Age’ is more of a docile or lethargic piece. Next comes a piece that is so haunting it is amazing, ‘Uranus: The Magician’ will hit you with emotions and the feels all over again. ‘Neptune: The Mystic’ is the final piece of this opus and is by far the most mystical and haunting of them all. Williams wrote in the liner notes of this album “Holst: The Planets is the inspiration I had for composing the score of ‘Star Wars’.” Being a musician myself I have played this entire opus multiple times. And as much as I love playing ‘Mars’ I have to say ‘Neptune’ is my favorite piece of the entire opus. It is due to the history of this piece and the collection of talent associated with this album that I give it a 9 out of 10.

Jason Ford of The Womb Mates and The Servant join the Mistresses for an episode packed with laughs. We talk shop about podcasting and also about Jason’s indie comic project The Servant. Topics on self publishing, podcasting perils and also some SCIENCE BITCH! Tune in or miss out!

The Mistresses are joined by the auditory chocolate frosting that is Rob Humphery. They discuss beers and boats, broken souls, working in retail and they eventually make their way around to Rob’s online opus Punching The Clock. They also talk about ownership of celestial objects. Tune in and try not to be mesmerized